1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an electronic device having a protective cap. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic device having a sliding protective top case that allows the protection of a connector on the electronic device without the need of a sliding button, elastic component, or spring.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic device with USB interface has gained immense popularity in recent years. Many businessmen and professional find USB very useful in their work. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a small portable memory storage device that is used on computers and other digital devices to transfer data using a USB cable. One of the most desirable features in the USB is that, the computer does not need to be powered off and restart to attach or remove the USB.
Today electronic device with USB interface comes in various attractive shapes, colors, and sizes. Many USB peripherals utilize a protective cover to protect the connecting portion. A common problem associated with most USB devices is the possibility of losing the protective cover due to its small size which may cause physical damage to the USB device. Moreover, it increases the susceptibility to slipping off of the protective cover during normal handling, transport and storage.
With the increased use of USB, various extension and retraction mechanisms are provided for the connecting portion. These mechanisms utilize a sliding button to extend the connector from an enclosure of the USB and to retract the connector when not in use. (See prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,979,210, Regen, et al.) The operation is inconvenient for an end user. Furthermore, such mechanisms require multiple parts such as button and are complex for manufacturing.
In order to address the need of protection of the connecting portion, Some USB devices have been developed with a sheath for slidably receiving the main body. A positioning component in the sheath fixes the main body when the connection portion is protruded and an elastic component in the sheath presses the main body to store the connecting portion. (See prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,104,814, She, et al.) Frequent use of such device decreases the durability of the elastic component. Further, the damage of the elastic component makes the device useless.
Many attempts are made to utilize a complex sliding mechanism which includes multiple moving parts with a press button. The sliding mechanism is ejected by pressing on the button. This approach is difficult and very expensive to manufacture.
Some other USB devices utilize a spring to keep the button protruded. Utilization of such a spring increases the thickness of the device due to the implementation of the spring mechanism.
Hence, it can be seen, that there is a need for an electronic device that is capable of eliminating the sliding button and/or elastic component for the protection, capable of utilizing fewer parts. Moreover, the needed device would be durable, economical, and easy to manufacture.